Creating buckets and uploading objects in GCP - Step-by-Step CLI Walkthrough

Introduction

Sometimes you need a place in the cloud to store files like photos or documents. Creating a bucket is like making a folder in the cloud. Uploading objects means putting your files into that folder so you can use or share them later.

When you want to save backups of your important files safely in the cloud.

When you need to share files with your team without emailing large attachments.

When your app needs to store user-uploaded images or documents.

When you want to archive logs or data for later analysis.

When you want to organize files by project or purpose in separate cloud folders.

Config File - bucket-config.json

bucket-config.json

{
  "name": "example-bucket-12345",
  "location": "US",
  "storageClass": "STANDARD"
}

This JSON file defines the bucket's name, where it is located geographically, and the storage class which affects cost and access speed.

name: The unique name of your bucket.

location: The region where your bucket is stored.

storageClass: The type of storage, STANDARD is good for frequent access.

Commands

This command creates a new bucket named 'example-bucket-12345' in the US region with standard storage. We run this first to have a place to store files.

Terminal

gsutil mb -l US -c STANDARD gs://example-bucket-12345/

Expected Output

Creating gs://example-bucket-12345/...

→

-l US - Sets the bucket location to US region

→

-c STANDARD - Sets the storage class to STANDARD for frequent access

This command lists all buckets in your project to confirm the new bucket was created successfully.

Terminal

gsutil ls

Expected Output

gs://example-bucket-12345/

This command uploads the file 'sample-file.txt' from your computer to the bucket you created. This puts your file safely in the cloud.

Terminal

gsutil cp sample-file.txt gs://example-bucket-12345/

Expected Output

Copying file://sample-file.txt [Content-Type=text/plain]...

/ [1 files][    12.0 B/    12.0 B] 100% Done

Operation completed over 1 objects/12.0 B.

This command lists the files inside your bucket to verify that your upload worked and the file is there.

Terminal

gsutil ls gs://example-bucket-12345/

Expected Output

gs://example-bucket-12345/sample-file.txt

Key Concept

If you remember nothing else from this pattern, remember: create a bucket first, then upload files into it to store them safely in the cloud.

Common Mistakes

Trying to upload a file before creating the bucket.

The upload fails because the destination bucket does not exist yet.

Always create the bucket first using 'gsutil mb' before uploading files.

Using a bucket name that is already taken by someone else.

Bucket names must be unique globally, so the command will fail if the name is used.

Choose a unique bucket name, often by adding numbers or your project name.

Not specifying the bucket location and storage class when creating the bucket.

This can lead to default settings that might not fit your needs and could cost more or be slower.

Use flags '-l' for location and '-c' for storage class to set these explicitly.

Summary

Use 'gsutil mb' to create a new bucket with a unique name, location, and storage class.

Use 'gsutil ls' to check your buckets and confirm creation.

Use 'gsutil cp' to upload files into your bucket.

Use 'gsutil ls gs://bucket-name/' to list files inside your bucket and verify uploads.